Introducing Hans Boserup

I have had a long life in the service of the law. Both as a solicitor and attorney and as a researcher and professor.

With my curiosity, I have not been able to keep myself away from the interesting neighbors of the law and social sciences in general. There is no part of these subjects that I have not dealt with. 

Practicing law in Greenland and living there for a number of years was a consequence of my curiosity.

After practicing in commercial law, I focused more and more on the relationship between the state and its citizens. This led me to also practice criminal law and represent citizens in the asymmetrical relationship between citizens and administration.

This led me to help refugees in need.
Among the refugees were torture victims who, in addition to legal insight, required psychiatric insight. A terrible but necessary task that was also academically challenging.
 
A life in the arena of conflicts convinced me that law can rarely resolve the foundation of the conflict. Therefore, I delved into alternative conflict resolution.

It was like turning a supertanker around in the open sea. While practicing law is about control, alternative conflict resolution is about facilitation without control. The relationship between the two forms of assistance is like oil and water. Lawyers have a hard time giving up control.

My doctoral dissertation was about the neutrality and communication of the mediator. My research showed that neutrality is an aspirational concept. You can have it as a goal, but you never become completely neutral.